


Broken Promises

by tattooedpiecesofyou



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance, The Wedding Planner, WeddingPlanner!Louis, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-19
Updated: 2013-05-08
Packaged: 2017-11-25 21:30:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/643165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tattooedpiecesofyou/pseuds/tattooedpiecesofyou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s become his salvation, planning weddings. He’s good at it and it’s a welcome distraction from the thoughts of the beautiful boy who taught him that sometimes the one person you love more than anything can be the one to break you beyond repair. So it’s pretty ironic that the one thing that’s helped him move on is also the thing that leads him right back to that stupid boy who left him two years ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my brand new fic. It's loosely based off of the movie The Wedding Planner, though it's definitely going to be different from the movie. I know this is short, but it's only the prologue! The next chapter is longer. Any and all feedback would be amazing. This is also posted on my tumblr - keepcalmandl0velarry.tumblr.com

Louis still remembers it like it was yesterday. It’s been two whole years and by now the hole those scribbled, painful words caused in his chest should be closed. The burns caused by the hot tears spilling down his cheeks and searing his skin have not healed, though he likes to pretend that they have. There’s still such a void in his life, an empty space that had always been filled by someone else. Well, not just someone. Harry. His life had always just seemed to revolve around the beautiful boy with the piercing green eyes and ridiculously curly hair. He actually doesn’t remember a time when Harry wasn’t his purpose for living, or something as equally cliché.

So when he left, when Louis woke up one morning to cold sheets, an empty space next to him, and a crumpled up piece of paper with just two sentences on it, it really fucked him up. Not in the normal way, though. Because most people who were left by their life long best friend, and boyfriend of three years, would become angry and bitter. At least that’s what all the stupid movies Liam forced him to watch after everything fell apart portrayed. But then again, Louis has never really done things the “normal” way, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when just two months later he decided to go into the wedding planning business. 

When he first announced it - that he wanted to create the perfect day for couples who are hopelessly in love – Liam had looked at him as if he was certifiable. It wasn’t really anything new, seeing as though Liam gives him that look at least ten times a day. But this time it was actually a bit understandable. Who in their right mind would jump into a world of loved up couples with hearts in their eyes after having been abandoned by the person they always swore they were going to marry? Apparently Louis would. 

He’s been in the business – the business of planning exceptionally beautiful weddings, that is – for almost two years now. He’s only 21 and at first that caused most people to raise their eyebrows and ask a million questions. But somehow he managed to prove himself worthy of their time and money. He worked at a small little place for a few months, learning the ropes and getting the hang of things, before deciding to venture out on his own. 

Now he’s the owner of Weddings by Louis. It’s not a creative name at all, he knows, but it was all he could think of at the time and it didn’t seem to scare customers off, so that’s a plus. He’s got a small team, preferring to keep things professional and intimate rather than make a whole gaudy production of it like some company’s do. So yeah, he’s only got a team of five, but it works for them. There’s Niall, the caterer who is far more likely to eat the food he makes than to actually serve it. And of course there’s Liam who has been his best friend for years now and was the one who helped Louis set everything up. He’s always been the more responsible one and he’s kind of the manager of the whole operation. He makes sure everything runs smoothly and checks up on all the little details Louis usually forgets. He’s more of a big picture sort of person which is why having Liam around is so helpful, especially since weddings sort of rely on the tiny, miniscule details. With Liam came Danielle, his long-time girlfriend, who is in charge of the entertainment aspect of things. He met Eleanor a few months after IT. That’s their little term for the morning that Louis tries his best not to think about anymore. She’s the one who is in charge of booking the venues and making sure all the designs and plans Louis comes up with are properly implemented. And of course who could forget Stan? He’s the photographer and while he’s even more ridiculous than Louis himself, he’s also really good at what he does, so it kind of all evens out. These people, his employees (though they’ll most likely slap him across the face if he ever so much as thinks about referring to them as that) are his everything. They’re the five people that keep him breathing and moving and functioning during the flashbacks and the bad days when he misses him so much it’s a physical ache in his bones (he usually tries to blame it on arthritis but no one ever seems to believe it) and wonders how this is his life now. Because even though he lost his everything, he now has five amazing people ensuring that he pushes through and survives. And really, what more could Louis ask for? Except for him to come back. But Louis isn’t stupid. It’s been 24 months now and he’s finally accepted the fact that things like that don’t happen in real life. Harry’s not coming back and really, Louis’ known it since the moment he woke up that morning. 

So he’ll just stick to his planning and his weddings and the carefully constructed life he’s built for himself where his job is what his world revolves around instead of a beautiful boy with curly hair and a restless spirit.


	2. Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s become his salvation, planning weddings. He’s good at it and it’s a welcome distraction from the thoughts of the beautiful boy who taught him that sometimes the one person you love more than anything can be the one to break you beyond repair. So it’s pretty ironic that the one thing that’s helped him move on is also the thing that leads him right back to that stupid boy who left him two years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first official chapter. I'm really excited for this one, and while I'm quite nervous about how this will be received, I really do hope that you like it. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! xxx

It’s only nine o’clock in the morning when he gets the call. He’s been in the office for two hours already because they have a huge wedding this weekend and there’s still far too much to be done. He and Liam are the only ones there, of course, because even though they work for him, his friends would never actually wake up before 8:30 am and Louis stopped attempting to bribe them into it months ago. So he’s just going over the seating chart for this 350-person monster of a wedding when he realizes Liam isn’t going to answer the phone. Letting out an overly dramatic sigh, one that he’s sure Liam can hear from his office right next door, Louis picks up the phone while dropping the seating chart down on the desk in front of him. 

“Goodmorning! If you’re looking to get married you’ve called the right place!” Okay, it’s not the most creative greeting in the world, but Louis’ a lot better at designing weddings than he is at choosing little slogans and names for companies. He is, honest.

A shrill laugh comes through the phone and almost deafens him, and Louis has to hold back another dramatic sigh, because goddamnit it’s far too early for this. 

“Well it’s a good think I’m planning on getting married then!” Her voice sounds vaguely familiar, though Louis can’t place where he’s heard it from. She’s definitely American, judging from her accent, and they all kind of sound alike, so maybe that’s what it is. 

“I can certainly help you with that, love! First things first. What’s your name?”

“Tara Lincott.” Oh. Oh, okay. Suddenly Louis is much more awake. 

He recognizes the name immediately, of course. Tara Lincott is something of a celebrity. She comes from a family full of beautiful and famous people (her father was something of a rock legend back in the day and her mother is a supermodel turned designer, not to mention her train wreck of a sister who acts like she’s in a competition with Lindsey Lohan) and while she’s always sort of been the recluse, the one who hid away from the cameras and did all she could to keep her life private, she’s become someone to talk about in recent months. It probably has to do with the fact that her family’s brand new reality show is airing soon and she couldn’t manage to get out of it, meaning the whole world is about to know everything about her, whether she likes it or not. And since she’s the one everyone knows least about, naturally that makes her the most interesting, at least for now. 

Louis takes a moment to compose himself – it’s not everyday he talks to famous people after all – before reminding himself to be professional. This is business after all, and he takes what he does quite seriously (a bit too seriously according to Stan and Eleanor). “So I take it you’re engaged then, Miss Lincott?”

“Yup! He proposed about two months ago but we’ve been waiting to move forward with everything. We don’t want it to be turned into a circus, you know?” Louis is about to say something about how he understands completely when she continues. “But I guess that’s kind of unavoidable now, what with the stupid show, because of course my mother is just insisting on….Sorry, sorry! Not the point at all. Anyways, yes. We’d like to get married in four months. I know that might not be enough time to plan everything, but it’s kind of being insisted on. I was going to wait until next March, but my mother always ends up getting her way somehow.”

At the mention of four months Louis almost chokes on his own saliva. Four months is definitely not enough time. On average it takes anywhere from nine to twelve months to plan a decent wedding, if not more. Louis likes to give the weddings he takes on at least a year, because he’s all about quality and perfection. There’s so much to do, so many details to arrange, and just four months doesn’t give a lot of room for preparation. It certainly won’t allow for a decent venue to be booked, at any rate. But then he remembers that the woman on the phone is famous and that strings can probably be pulled and favors can be asked, and maybe, just maybe it’ll be possible. 

He draws in a calming breath, hoping it will allow him to sound composed and professional instead of panicked, which is what he actually is. “Well, I usually like to have at least ten months,” he replies, trying his best not to sound condescending. “But I’m sure we can manage it somehow. I have to warn you now, though. It won’t be easy and we might have to make some compromises since everything will have to be booked on such short notice.” 

“Oh my god. You’ll actually help?” Tara is almost screeching in his ear and yeah, this girl really needs to a lesson in volume control. 

“Of course I will! I like a challenge every once in a while,” he replies, hoping he sounds much more optimist than he feels. “Why don’t you give me an idea of what you want and I can start putting a rough portfolio together. Wait. You do want to get married in the UK, yes?”

“Oh, of course. My fiancé is from England and he hasn’t been back in two years. I know he misses it and it just wouldn’t feel right if I kept him from getting married at home.” There’s a pause before Tara continues, rushing her words in what Louis can only assume is excitement. “We’re hoping to get married the last weekend in January, so I want a sort of winter wonderland theme. I don’t want it to be cliché or corny, though. It’s just that living in LA my whole life I’ve never really done the whole winter thing, and I just think it could be really beautiful?” She sounds unsure of herself and Louis is about to cut in but she continues on in a rush before he can even open his mouth. “Sorry, that probably sounds really stupid…”

Louis smiles fondly against the receiver, biting back a laugh. He likes how enthusiastic she is about everything. It’s always better when the bride has some sort of idea of what she wants, because then Louis isn’t forced into being some kind of mind reader who is supposed to automatically know what the bride wants without ever getting any input or feedback. “I think it sounds wonderful, actually. I can definitely do something brilliant with that, love, don’t you worry!”

They talk for a bit longer, exchanging contact details and setting up a time for their first meeting. It turns out she and her fiancé will be moving to London next week to live there temporarily while they focus on the wedding and get away from the public eye for a bit. It’s only after they’ve hung up that Louis realizes he never asked for the fiance’s name. But he’s sure he’ll be hearing it soon enough. After all, it’s bound to be plastered all over every ridiculous tabloid sooner or later. Tara can’t keep the mystery guy hidden away forever. 

*************************************************************************************************************************************************  


Time passes quickly for Louis and his team. The month of September is always a particularly busy one for weddings, as many brides have dreams of an autumn wedding, with the changing leaves serving as a perfect color scheme and rustic backdrop. He’s been busy juggling multiple weddings as well as scraping together some sort of a portfolio for the Lincott wedding without much to go on other than a “winter wonderland” theme. It isn’t impossible, but the limited amount of time certainly doesn’t help things. 

When he had told the gang – Louis doesn’t like referring to them as that but Stan had insisted because apparently it makes them sound “dangerous” – they had all looked at him as if he had told them they would be planning a wedding for zoo animals or something as equally outrageous. But really, he couldn’t blame them. In this business a 4-month wedding is pretty ridiculous and most wouldn’t even attempt it. But Louis isn’t most, which is why he’s been as successful as he has when it comes to planning weddings. He’s made a bit of a name for himself in London, but this is sure to be the most important wedding of his career. It’s the wedding that could actually put him on the map and expose him to a more elite class of clients, something he could only dream of, as it means much more imaginative and elaborate weddings. If he’s being honest, the challenge of it was what had most attracted him. Even though he’s well respected after two years at this whole thing, Louis still sometimes feels as if he has something to prove. After all, he’s only twenty-one, and most people running a wedding planning business of their own are at least thirty, if not much older. Not to mention the fact that he’s a guy and for some reason some women have this ridiculous and stereotypical notion that men can’t possible know anything about weddings. So yeah, it’s going to be a challenge and it certainly won’t be easy, but Louis knows they can handle it. 

He gets home the day before the big meeting with Tara andher fiancé and throws himself on his bed out of sheer exhaustion. He’s looking forward to a night of Chinese takeaway and How I Met Your Mother when his phone buzzes with a text from Liam. 

Hey mate i didnt want 2 ask @ work but how r u holdin up??? i know wut day tomorro is so i hope ur ok

At first he’s confused by the words on the screen (which isn’t all that shocking considering Liam’s terrible grammar) and it’s only after he reads them about ten times that it hits him. He exits out of the text to stare at the date on the screen. September 16. Which means tomorrow is….September 17. The seventeenth.. Of fucking course. 

How could he have forgotten? He’s surprised he managed not to remember it until now, in all honesty. Last year he had been a complete wreck and refused to even pick his head up from the pillow. A full week before the day even approached. Yeah, it was pathetic, Louis’ fully aware. But another twelve months have gone by and he actually feels a bit stronger now, not healed of course (how do you really ever fully recover from that sort of thing?), but stronger. So maybe that explains it.

But it doesn’t change the fact that tomorrow will mark two complete years since his life stopped making sense. Two years without the one person who vowed to never leave him. Twenty-four months since he was abandoned. 

And it also happens to be the day that he has one of the most important meetings of his career. Of course fate would be that cruel. Little does he know it’s about to get a whole lot worse.


	3. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's taken so long for me to write this next chapter, or anything for that matter. Things have been hectic because I'm studying abroad. But anyways, enough with the excuses. I hope this chapter was worth the wait and if you enjoy it even a little bit I'd really appreciate any and all feedback. xx

There’s an hour before Tara and her fiancé are due to arrive and Louis is busy working out last minute details. He’s called the whole “gang” in for a group briefing session and they’re all staring at him expectantly as he frantically ruffles through his papers. He’s trying to avoid eye contact, as he knows all he’ll see staring back at him is an aggravating mixture of pity, sympathy, and concern. Yeah, he’d rather not deal with all of that at 9 am on a Monday, thanks. 

He made the mistake of glancing over at Eleanor a few minutes ago and yeah, he definitely regrets it. The thing with Eleanor is that she was there for the aftermath of it all. Sure, Liam was too, but with El it was different. He met her only two weeks after IT happened, when he was pathetically broken and more than a little bit wasted at some dive of a bar. He actually attempted to hit on her, despite the fact that he hadn’t so much as glanced in a girl’s direction since he was 13. Somehow, in his haze of heartbreak and alcohol, flirting with the random girl sitting next to him had seemed like a good idea. Yeah, he still didn’t understand that one. Needless to say his efforts didn’t exactly work, as Eleanor had immediately recognized the look in his eyes as pain and decided that she would be his unofficial therapist, despite only knowing him for five minutes. Two years later and she’s one of the best friends he’s ever had, and of course there’s still plenty of moments where she attempts to play therapist. She’s the only one that knows just how broken Louis was by the whole thing with him. It’s not that he doesn’t talk to Liam or the rest of his friends, because he does. He just doesn’t talk about certain things and they know better than to ask. It became clear a long time ago that a certain name was not allowed to be spoken in their office or anywhere else for that matter. It’s the only way things work, the sole reason the earth keeps spinning and time keeps ticking away for Louis. 

As he’s glancing over the short list of bullet points he typed up for this morning Louis hears a loud laugh and he doesn’t even have to look up to know it belongs to Stan. He must feel his eyes on him because he glances his way and Louis is relieved to see not even a trace of sympathy in his eyes. That’s one of the things he’s always loved about Stan. He knows that worrying about Louis or feeling sorry for him will just do more harm than good. They’ve been friends since they were little, having met at football practice one day. Over the years they drifted a bit, both caught up in their own thing, but a year or so ago Stan moved to London and Louis hired him on the spot. He’s the best photographer Louis has ever met, and while he can be a real pain in the arse sometimes, he fits into their little group perfectly. He doesn’t even have to glance over at Liam and Danielle to know that their fingers are intertwined and they’re probably acting like a pair of loved up teenagers. Louis’ happy for Liam, he really is. They’ve been together for as long as he can remember and he knows Liam’s always deserved a girl like Dani, someone who is fun and just spontaneous enough to break Liam out of his shell from time to time. But, the thing is, Dani and Liam were a couple back then, and they lasted while Louis’ relationship crumbled. So he doesn’t look over at them, because while he’s determined to get through today like it’s just a normal day – which it is – he knows better than to torture himself. When he locks eyes with Niall, that’s when it really gets to him. Because he had been doing a fine job of ignoring the sneaking glances and pointed looks from everyone else, but when the most carefree person he knows keeps looking at him as if he is going to break, well, he snaps. 

“Stop looking at me as if I’m going to shatter into a million pieces! Yes it’s the seventeenth. Yes it’s been two whole years. Yes, he left me. But I’m over it. I’m over the whole thing and I certainly have forgotten all about that lying piece of shit. Okay? So let’s just move on and start planning this fucking wedding!” 

His voice had started off quiet and eerily calm but as he continued on he felt himself getting more and more worked up and by the end he’s full on screaming. A few moments of silence follow that little outburst and Louis immediately ducks his head. He’s embarrassed, of course he is, but he can’t help but feel that it was a little bit justified, so he simply clears his throat and glances down at his papers. When he lifts his gaze he fixes his eyes at the back of the room, purposely avoiding any and all eye contact. 

“Okay so, you all already know that this is the biggest wedding we have ever had. We’ve never done something so high profile, not even close, so everything has to be perfect for this one. There will be a lot more meetings than normal, details will have to be checked over and over again, and we’ll be putting in a ton of hours. But if we actually manage to pull this off, it could mean big things for us.” He finally lets his eyes wander around the room, stopping on each of them for a moment. They all seem incredibly focused, ready for whatever directions he’s going to give him, and it relieves Louis. Clearly they’ve gotten over his little outburst, which means they can focus on more important matters. 

“Now, she wants a winter wonderland theme, but she doesn’t want it to be corny or cliché in the slightest. I’m thinking silver and gold for the color scheme. Blue is too overused and this will give a more classy and elegant look. El, I have a few ideas for venues, but I’m going to need you to look into all of them. We need a place that can be discreet and offer privacy, as this will be a very high-profile wedding. It should also be rather large, as Tara is thinking her guest list will be at least 200, if not more.” He watches as Eleanor begins scribbling furiously on her notepad, no doubt writing down every single word. She’s a bit anal about having copious amounts of notes, always wanting everything to be perfect. He then turns to Niall. “I know she said she wanted a menu that was on the lighter side, nothing too heavy, but traditional as well. Do you think you could get me a rough outline of a menu by next week? I’m going to give her your book of cakes so I can get a feel of which style she likes best, so I’ll fill you in once I know more.” Niall nods and Louis can see him going over menu ideas in his head already. “And Dani, we need the best DJ you know, as well as someone to play piano and a vocalist to sing as she walks down the aisle. She doesn’t want the traditional wedding march.” He quickly moves on to Stan next, knowing he’s going through this very quickly, but he wants to make sure they’re all on the same page. “Stan, I know she said she wanted every single moment documented so I’m thinking we might have to hire a few freelance photographers to help you for the day. Do you want to get started seeing who would be available?” Once Stan nods in confirmation Louis drops his paper and gives them a small smile. “I know that was a lot to throw at you, but the more you know the more prepared we can all be. I’m gonna go to my office now until Tara and her fiancé arrive. If you have any questions you know where to find me.” 

Once he’s in the privacy of his office, Louis throws himself into his chair and lets his head fall down on the desk with a hollow thud. He doesn’t know how he’s supposed to get through this meeting, not when he’s already incredibly on edge. His skin is crawling and it feels as if all the air has been sucked right out of the small room. He wants to open a window and stick his head out of it, just to get some air, just to feel as if he can breathe. Or better yet, maybe he could fucking jump right out of the window, surely that would make everything better. He’s about to stand up, because yes he’s seriously contemplating the whole window thing, when there’s a faint knock at the door. He knew this was coming, so his only reply is an obnoxiously loud sigh. After a few beats of silence Liam’s head comes peaking around the door, an anxious smile on his face as he worries his bottom lip between his teeth. He’s just hovering in that way of his, the kind that makes you want to put him out of his misery and say you’re okay, even when you both know it’s a lie. 

“Come in, Li,” he drags a hand down his face as he slouches back down in his chair. Louis watches as his best friend tentatively sits down across from him and Louis can’t help but roll his eyes. “I’m not going to break, or snap at you again,” he says, a humorless smirk twisting onto his lips for the briefest of moments. “Let’s just not have this talk, yeah? It’s pointless and we both know it.” 

Liam is quiet for a long moment, just letting his eyes pierce right into Louis’ empty ones, before he finally lets out a breath of air and shrugs noncommittally. “Sure, Lou, whatever you want.” 

Louis doesn’t even bother to respond to that because he knows that’s not it. There’s something else coming, a figurative but to the end of that statement. There’s always a but with Liam. He doesn’t let anything go that easily. 

“If you need to go home early or anything today, if you even need me to step in during the meeting so you can have space or something, you know I will. Anything you need, mate.” 

And there it is. Liam’s not mentioning why Louis would possibly need space, but he’s still breaching the subject. In a roundabout way, sure, but it’s there. It’s always there, beneath the surface. Even after so long, even when it shouldn’t matter anymore. And Louis supposes that’s his fault. He is the one who chose to plan weddings after all. Weddings, even after everything. Well, he never said he wasn’t a masochist. 

All Louis does is nod, because really words won’t do anything at this point. Liam stays for a few more minutes, the two of them sitting in a silence that’s not uncomfortable, but not quite comfortable either. When he pushes himself up from the chair and is almost out the door Louis let’s a quiet “Thanks, Li,” pass his lips before turning on his laptop and burying himself in his work. 

An hour later Louis is sitting on the couch in the meeting room waiting for Tara to arrive. It’s a small room, with a couch on one side, separated by a large coffee table, and three plush armchairs on the other side. Louis doesn’t believe in sitting his clients down at a large table, as if they were in a boardroom or something of the sort. He likes to go about things in an informal, casual sort of way, so as to make the client comfortable and at ease. He’s just finished pouring three cups of tea when he hears Eleanor’s voice, a bit higher pitched and sweeter than usual coming from the front room. It’s the voice she only ever uses when she’ attempting to be professional, so Louis knows Tara and her fiancé must have arrived. He’s just standing up when the petite blonde steps into the room. She’s just as lovely as the was in the few photographs Louis has seen of her and he can only hope she won’t be as stuck up as the rumors say her entire family is. 

“Hello, love!” he greets, a bright smile on his lips as he leans in to press a kiss to her cheek. Louis has always believed in being warm and friendly from the very start with his clients. Things typically tend to run more smoothly when they know he’s approachable. 

Tara flashes him a wide smile, before sitting down in the seat across from the couch, as Louis had motioned for her to. “Hi Louis! Thank you so much for agreeing to this. I know it’s probably driving you crazy already and I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to try my best to make things easy for you. If I start to turn into a bridezilla, at all, you have full permission to slap me across the face.” 

Louis laughs loudly at that, finding that he already likes the woman sitting across from him. He’s always been a pretty good judge of character, able to tell if he’ll get along with someone almost as soon as he meets them, and he’s sure he and Tara will have no problems at all. “I’ll keep that in mind. Though I’m not sure your fiancé would be too happy with me,” he winks, a small smile on his lips. “Speaking of, where is he? I thought you said he’d be joining us today?” Louis had just realized there was no one else with Tara, and while he didn’t necessarily mind, it was usually better to have the initial meeting with both the bride and groom present, as he could get a sense of their personalities and the dynamic between them. 

“Oh, apparently something came up. I don’t know, he’s been a bit off for the past few days, ever since we landed. I thought he’d be happy to be home, but…” she trailed off, seeming to realize she was revealing personal information to someone who was still virtually a stranger. “Sorry, I ramble sometimes. Anyways, Harry should be here soon. He’s just running a little late.” 

As soon as the name leaves her lips Louis feels himself tense. The smile slides from his lips and his mind goes completely blank. Harry. Harry, harry, harry. He hadn’t heard that name in two years, and though he knows there’s plenty of people named Harry - hell the bloody Prince is a Harry for God’s sake - he can’t shake the sick feeling that’s worked it’s way into the pit of his stomach. Just hearing the name, especially on this day, well, it affects him, to say the least. 

After a few tense moments Louis forces his mind to shut off and plasters a smile onto his lips. He’s nothing if not a professional, after all. “Not a problem, Tara. We can just fill him in when he gets here.” 

After about thirty minutes of discussing details and going over the rough portfolio he had compiled, Louis is feeling at ease once again. Tara is one of the loveliest people he’s ever met and definitely one of the easier brides he’s encountered. They’ve just begun discussing the bridal party when Louis hears footsteps approaching, accompanied by Eleanor’s panicked voice. He can hear her stuttering and is immediately alarmed, as he doesn’t think he’s ever heard El stutter in his life. Before he can contemplate it further the door opens and Tara jumps up with a “Darling, you made it!” Louis lifts his head up, following her movement, when his eyes meet a hauntingly familiar shade of green. 

Suddenly it’s as if he’s frozen in place. He can’t move, think, speak, feel. He’s just sitting there, staring at a ghost. This has to be some sick joke, Louis thinks, because there’s no way that the Harry who is getting married, the Harry who’s wedding he’s currently planning, can be his Harry. Not on today of all days. No, fate wouldn’t be that cruel. 

But apparently it is because as Louis watches, it all plays out like some sort of horror movie, his worst nightmare come to life. Tara pulls Harry down next to her, beams over at Louis and says, “Lou, meet Harry, my fiancé.”


	4. Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't edit this so I hope it's not too terrible! It's late here and I wanted to be sure to get this chapter posted for you guys, so I apologize. I'm a bit unsure about the way I ended this, and the POV changes in it, but I hope they aren't too confusing or poorly written. Any and all feedback would be absolutely lovely! xxx

It’s a warm day in the middle of June, one of those days where the world just seems alive and happy. They’ve got the top down on the old convertible Louis’ granddad had finally given to him a few months back, boxes piled high in the backseat and crammed into the boot. Taking his eyes off of the road for a split second, Louis glances over at Harry and he can’t even hide the smile that spread across his face. Harry is Louis’ source of happiness, his reason to wake up in the morning, he’s just….he’s everything. And seeing him look so happy and carefree, seeing that genuine smile on his lips as he sings along to the Vampire Weekend song that is currently blasting out the speakers, well, it just makes Louis feel at peace. Like everything will always be okay as long as he has this ridiculous boy by his side. 

Harry catches his eye just as he’s refocusing his eyes on the road. He has that stupid little grin he has whenever he has a certain thought, one he can’t contain, no matter how hard he tries. 

“What is it, then?” Louis asks, eyes still glued to the stretch of highway in front of them. 

Out of the corner of his eye he can see Harry biting his lip, a faint pink just starting to creep up his cheeks, not quite warming them, not yet. “I just…I’m really happy, you know?”

Louis hums in agreement but says nothing, knowing Harry will have more to add. 

“I mean, this is huge, right? But it doesn’t feel like it. It feels like the only option that makes sense. We’re about to move in together, Lou. We’re really actually doing this. Finally.” 

As they stop at a traffic light Louis turns to face Harry, unable to bite back his smile any longer. “I know, babe. I’m just as excited as you are. I’ve waited so long for this, Haz.” 

Harry’s smile grows impossibly wider as he slyly moves his hand to rest on top of Louis,’ intertwining their fingers over the gearshift. “Me too, Lou. This is just the beginning, I promise.”

 

That was the first promise Harry ever broke to Louis. A year before he broke the final one, so maybe it was what set everything into motion, in a way. Maybe moving in together was the catalyst. The figurative spark that lit the match. Maybe Harry just couldn’t handle so much of Louis all the time. Maybe he didn’t realize just how much he had signed up for when he committed himself to Louis in such a way. But then again, maybe not. Because all of those maybes are just justifications. They’re a way out, a reason for Harry’s actions, and Louis told himself a long time ago that nothing in this world could be good enough reason for breaking that final promise, for breaking their love wide open and leaving it there to die. 

So now, faced with the result of that final broken promise staring him right in the face, he doesn’t know how to cope. He honestly thought he’d never see him again. It was a reality he had resigned himself to long ago, and somewhere along the way it became something to take comfort in. Seeing him would make it too real, permanent and shocking, but never seeing him again? Well, then he could just pretend things ended differently. He could tell himself Harry had to leave, or that he would be coming back eventually. Facing the truth was hard and painful and it was something he tried not to think about, ever. 

It had been working pretty well, or so he had thought. But now, staring back at those green eyes he once knew as if they were his own, well, that’s a completely different story. It feels as if someone has just slapped him in the face repeatedly and he doesn’t quite now how to cope. He’s never been one for anxiety, but right now he’s almost certain he’s in the midst of a massive panic attack. 

Tearing himself away from that eerily piercing gaze Louis keeps his eyes trained on the floor as he attempts to find his voice. He swears his throat is closing and it’s getting hard to even see, he’s so dizzy and weak all of a sudden. After a few moments of heavy breathing and opening and closing his mouth like he’s a fish struggling to get water, he turns to Tara and says in a very small voice “Please excuse me for a moment, love.” 

The second he steps into the back lounge, Louis is immediately surrounded. He can faintly here the clashing of noises around him but it’s all just a dull buzz as he slumps himself down in a chair and attempts to catch his breath. The first voice he actually registers is Eleanor’s. 

“It’s…it’s him,” she’s saying, and the sudden silence in the room is enough to tell Louis that everyone knows exactly who she is referring to. There’s a lapse in any and all activity for several seconds before suddenly chaos is all around him. Voices are rising and falling over each other, he feels hands on his shoulder, knee, and back, and out of the corner of his eye he can vaguely see Liam pacing back and forth. He doesn’t register much of it at all, until suddenly “I will fucking kill him! I’m going to go out there and dismember him, and scream at him, and beat him to a pulp. He has a lot of bloody nerve showing up here, I will.”

It’s so ridiculous coming from Liam Payne of all people, that Louis would burst out laughing if he weren’t trying so hard not to cry. He hears Stan going on about extreme forms of torture that he learned from his uncle who was a former Navy Seal, Niall is oddly quiet but Louis knows that’s just because he has no idea what to do or say in this situation, maybe because he knows there isn’t anything he can do to make this any better at all. After a good ten minutes of simply sitting with his head in his hands and struggling to breathe properly, Louis slowly lifts his head up and glances blankly around the room. 

“I can’t…. I can’t. I can’t do this. Not today, not any day. I just no. This is not happening. No.” It’s clearly not the reaction they had all been expecting, maybe because he’s been so good at the false bravado and appearing unaffected. But he’s so tired of having to be strong, so done with keeping up appearances and never letting himself give in to the emotions that threaten to overwhelm him. This time it’s just too much and he can’t pretend anymore, he just can’t. It takes a few moments, but suddenly Liam is on his feet and storming out the door with a scarily fierce look in his eyes. Louis doesn’t even bother to stop him, knowing that Liam needs to do this, if not just for Louis, then for himself too. 

 

The moment Liam locks eyes with him he feels the anger that had been coursing through his veins for the past two years reach its peak. Staring at the boy who had once been one of his closest friends all he feels is disgust. He doesn’t look any different than he had the last time Liam saw him, and maybe that’s part of the problem. If Harry had seemed different, if he had somehow been transformed into a different person, well maybe that would make what he had done a bit easier to understand. But he looked just the same he did back then, if only a just a bit older. 

Completely disregarding Tara’s presence in the room, Liam roughly grabs Harry’s wrist and practically drags him out of the room. He says nothing until they are outside the office, as he knows Louis doesn’t need to hear what he’s about to say. When the come to a stop Liam takes that moment to look into Harry’s eyes for the first time since he realized just who it was that had walked into their office. He now realizes that Louis isn’t the only one affected by this impromptu reunion. Harry’s face is as white as a sheet and he looks as if he’s just seen a ghost. And really, when Liam stops and thinks about it, he supposed he has in a way. Louis is Harry’s ghost just as much as Harry is his. Drawing in a deep breath, Liam thinks about how to approach this. He’s still angry, of course, but now he’s not so sure that yelling at Harry is the way to go. Because as much as he loathes what he did to Louis, Harry was his best friend for a long time and it’s all too obvious that he’s not okay right now, not at all. 

“Harry,” he begins, watching as Harry blinks his eyes slowly, only seeming to just register where he is and who is in front of him. 

“Liam,” he replies, his voice barely a whisper. 

“Why the hell are you here?” he finally settles on asking, his tone a bit accusatory but not nearly as vicious as he originally planned on. 

Harry looks helpless for a few moments, opening and closing his mouth for a few moments before letting out a deep sigh and slumping his shoulders. 

“I….I didn’t know. Liam, I swear to you I had no idea. I…he plans weddings now? Weddings? Since when does Louis know anything about weddings?!” 

His voice has a slightly hysterical edge to it and Liam knows that he was right when he realized Louis wasn’t the only one affected by this. It’s clear that Harry has no idea how to handle this and Liam can’t help but feel a brief and fleeting flash of sympathy for him. It’s gone just as soon as it came however, when he remembers just how shaken Louis had looked after he had seen Harry. 

“He knows a lot about them now. He’s actually one of the best wedding planners in all of London, opened up his own business and everything. You wouldn’t know that of course,” He pauses for a moment before adding in the comment that he knows will cut the deepest, “because you left him.” 

Liam watches as the remark sinks in. He watches the way Harry actually flinches as if Liam had struck him in the face, he sees the pain flash through Harry’s eyes, the way he seems to shrink down a few inches as the weight of this situation hits him right between the eyes. 

“I….I know. I know I did,” he says quietly, his eyes trained on the floor. Liam waits for something else, for Harry to finally give an explanation, for anything at all, but it doesn’t come. Harry stays quiet, pointedly avoiding his gaze, and that’s when Liam knows Harry needs to hear a few things. 

“What you did was inexcusable. You know that, right? You fucking broke him, Harry. You should have seen him the day he realized you weren’t coming back. You weren’t there, you left before you had to deal with the mess that you made. But I saw it all. I saw him turn into the shell of the person he used to be. Watches as he pretended he was okay when it was obvious that when you left you had taken all of Louis with you. You taught him that love was real and beautiful, you taught him that he could trust and actually feel safe with someone, and then you ripped that all out from under him. You built him up, only to cut him down in the worst way possible. And I honestly don’t know how you live with yourself knowing you did that to him. How do you look at yourself in the mirror, Harry. Huh? Because you were my best friend for years but right now, looking at you, I feel like I’m going to be sick.”

Liam sees Harry shaking slightly and knows that he’s said enough. Their eyes don’t meet, but Liam knows Harry well enough to know that his words have definitely sunk in. He doesn’t feel bad, though. Because Harry deserved that, he truly did. 

Liam turns away from him then, but not before pausing in the doorway. “He’s never been the same since that day. He’s not the same Louis you used to know. You broke him.” 

When Liam walks back into the office he is greeted with the sight of Louis sitting next to Tara, pouring over his book of color schemes. It’s clear that Louis isn’t okay, but he sure is doing a great job of pretending that he is. It’s not the sort of pretending that Liam has watched him do for the past two years, though. No this is much more forced, almost transparent in fact. He’s doing his best to act professional, Liam knows, and he’s never admired Louis as much as he does in that moment. 

Without thinking Liam takes a seat next to Louis and throws an arm over his shoulder. When he glances up at him Liam can see just how not okay Louis truly is and tightens his grip, giving him a smile that he hopes conveys his love and support. They sit there for a few moments, Liam observing as Tara and Louis continue to discuss plans. When the door opens and Harry comes walking back in Liam feels the way Louis tenses up, going completely still and drawing in a sudden and deep breath. He pats his arm gently, feeling completely helpless. It’s obvious that this is going to be a tense and painful day to come and he can only hope that Louis will make it through without totally breaking down. That’s already happened once, Liam can’t let it happen again.


	5. Part Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! I hope it doesn't appear too rushed or overly dramatic, as it was a bit of a hard one to write. Louis and Harry finally speak, for the first time in two years! Anyways, I hope you like it. As always, any and all feedback would be amazing. You can find me on tumblr at keepcalmandl0velarry.tumblr.com where I love to talk about my fics, so I'd love for you to ask any and all questions you may have. xxx

Though you would never know it by merely glancing over at him, Louis Tomlinson is one second away from a mental breakdown. He’s been consciously avoiding letting his eyes even so much as glance to the left of him, where he knows a particularly familiar curly-haired boy is currently sitting. He’s not sure how close he is to Tara, whether or not their holding hands and acting like a pair of loved up teenagers. That’s not something he can stomach right now, or any time at all, thank you very much. Hell, he doesn’t even have any idea how Harry’s reacting to being in the same room as him after all this time, mainly because he refuses to look at him. 

But avoiding those eyes doesn’t mean he can completely forget his presence next to him. Harry Styles isn’t that easy to ignore, he never had been, and maybe that was the problem all along. Maybe if he hadn’t become friends with him that day on the playground in primary school he wouldn’t feel as if the boy had shot him in the chest and left him there to bleed. There’s a sort of electric current in the air, one that Louis knows all too well. It’s the result of Harry’s presence, it’s as if he attracts everything around him, altering things to suit himself and make room for such an enigmatic person. Louis used to take comfort in that, used to revel in the way Harry could make things come alive. But now it’s only making him increasingly uncomfortable. 

He’s trying his best to appear entirely unaffected, listening attentively as Tara rambles on about the guest list and her mother’s outrageous demands. If he zones in on her and the portfolio in front of him it’s almost as if everything is completely normal and this is just another client. Almost. Except when he glances down at the ring on her finger and suddenly realizes just who it was that gave it to her. He tries to look away, to not let his thoughts wander down such a dangerous path, but he can’t quite manage it. Did he take her out to a nice dinner, get down on one knee, and give her a lovely speech? Did he declare his love for her with passionately poetic words and a warm embrace? Did he spend days, weeks even, picking out the perfect ring in that obsessive way of his, the perfectionist in him coming out in full force? Did he say all the things to her that he always said he’d one day say to Louis? Did he- 

No. No, that’s enough. He can’t do this to himself. He can’t torture himself with scenarios and maybes and speculation. Harry proposed to someone else. Harry is marrying someone else. A woman, in fact. Harry has quite obviously moved on. So Louis needs to man up and get the fuck over it. 

He’s snapped out of his thoughts by the shrill ring of a cell phone. It cuts through the air, causing him to jump a bit, his cheeks reddening at the action. 

“Hello? No, I can’t talk right now, mother. I’m in with Louis. The wedding planner! Yes, it’s a man. I’ve told you a million times. Is he what? I hardly think that’s any of our business. Listen, I really have to go. Mom! I should be-Ugh, fine. Hold on.”

Though Louis knows he shouldn’t be eavesdropping he can’t help but listen in on the conversation. Normally he would pay no attention to the private phone conversations his clients have, but this is not a normal client, as he’s now realized. She has something he used to have, someone who used to be his, and well, now, he’s suddenly a lot more interested in her life, even though he knows he shouldn’t be. 

“Mother is insisting on having a full conversation, apparently something has happened. I’ll be back in a few. I’m so sorry!” Louis watches as Tara quickly flees the room, and he continues to stare after her until he hears a quiet cough coming from beside him. 

Suddenly he’s all too aware of the fact that he’s in a room alone with the boy who he hasn’t seen in two years. The boy he’s known since he was six years old. He doesn’t want to be in this situation, not at all. He can’t handle it, doesn’t want to even speak a word to him, because well, what could Harry possibly have to say?

He picks himself up from the chair slowly, taking a step towards the door when he suddenly feels a hand on his arm. It’s warm and a bit calloused and it’s chillingly familiar. Even after all this time that touch still manages to make his heart speed up and cause a shiver to run down his spine. Louis instantly jerks his arm away, hating his body for still reacting in such a way to someone who wasn’t at all deserving of it. With his back still facing Harry he pauses. “What,” he asks, his voice so quiet and emotionless he isn’t even sure if the words actually left his lips. 

“I,” and the second he hears that voice again, hears the oddly deep and melodic tone to it, the familiarity of it piercing his skin and seeping into his veins, Louis swears he’s about to lose it. 

He makes to take another step, suddenly needing to be as far away from this situation as his feet will allow him to run. However, he doesn’t get too far before Harry is suddenly in front of him, those piercing green eyes gazing at him intently. Louis can’t bring himself to look away, even though he knows he should. He never thought he’d see those eyes again, never let himself be foolish enough to think that he’d ever see this boy again. And now that he is, now that Harry’s standing in front of him Louis is realizing he forgot so much about him. He forgot just how expressive those eyes are, how it’s always been impossible for Harry to hide his emotions, how they’ve always been entirely too visible in his eyes. His curls seem even more prominent now, longer even, and he’s certainly gotten taller. There are so many little, subtle differences. Things that you wouldn’t notice unless you had known the boy exceptionally well. And it’s these trivial little realizations that really get to Louis. Because two years is a long time and he’s seeing the actuality of that passing time staring him in the face. He suddenly realizes he’s been staring and abruptly drops his gaze to the ground.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” he whispers, afraid that raising his voice will reveal just how difficult he’s finding this entire situation. 

“I know,” comes the reply, just as soft as Louis.’ “I just….Louis you have to know that I had no idea you were the one she had hired. I didn’t….I wouldn’t agree to that. You have to know that. I wouldn’t purposely do that to you.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t? You sure about that?” he asks, his tone taking on that edge to it, the one he only gets when he starts to feel a bit out of control and a lot vulnerable. “Because honestly, I wouldn’t put it past you. You’ve done worse, we both know that.” 

He catches Harry’s eye as he says it and he sees the damage those words do as they hit the boy like a physical blow. “I….I don’t know what to say. I didn’t….” He let’s out a long sigh, bringing his hands up to fist in his curls. It’s a nervous gesture, Louis knows, and he hates that he still knows such details about Harry. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have come.”

Those words shouldn’t sting, but they really do. Letting out a hard, fake laugh Louis shoots Harry a nasty little smirk. “Oh, I know you wouldn’t have. Because seeing me again would have just been so terrible. Wouldn’t want to have to put yourself through that, now would you.” 

Harry immediately shakes his head, his eyes going sad and his bottom lip pulling in between his teeth. “No, of course not. You know that’s not what I meant. I-“

“Do you know what day it is?” he interrupts, not knowing what it was that compelled him to ask, but now that he has he can’t just take it back. 

Louis watches as Harry closes his eyes and draws in a deep breath, pausing for a moment before finally, “Yeah, I do. Of course I do.” 

Louis nods once, sharp and angry. “Right. Of course you do. And you chose today of all days to start planning your wedding?” 

He doesn’t know why he’s going down this path. He knows he shouldn’t, that it won’t lead to anything good, but he just can’t seem to help himself. He’s got too years of pent up anger inside of him and he just needs to say something, anything. 

Harry opens his mouth to answer but Louis cuts him off. He’s started this so he’s going to finish it. “You chose to start planning your wedding on this fucking day? The day you left. On the day you knew what was supposed to happen?”

And there it is. The thing that Louis swore he’d never mention, never even think about. But he couldn’t just not bring it up. Not when harry is here and he’s getting married to someone else, someone who most certainly is not Louis. Just mentioning it leaves him trembling, but it needs to be said. There are so many things that need to be said, so much that is still unresolved, and suddenly Louis is overwhelmed with the need to just get it all out in the open. Maybe once he does that, once he says what he knows he needs to say, he can finally and truly move on. Because while that clearly wasn’t a problem for Harry, it had always been one for Louis, whether he would admit it or not. 

Harry doesn’t say anything for a long time and Louis starts walking away when suddenly he hears a mumbled “I’m so sorry, Lou,” and that’s when Louis really and truly loses it.

He’s somehow managed to hold himself together, basically, up until now, but he just can’t do it any longer. He stomps over to Harry, his body shaking with anger and rage, and that overwhelming sense of being abandoned again, and he stops right in front of him, their faces just inches away. The proximity would unnerve him if he weren’t in such a blind rage. 

“No. Don’t you say that to me. Don’t you dare say that to me. You aren’t allowed to apologize. You aren’t allowed to say you’re sorry. You know why? Because this is so far past the realm of “sorry” it’s ridiculous.” He draws in a sharp breath before barreling on, knowing there’s a lot more he still needs to say. “God, how are you even here right now? Like, why me? What the hell have I ever done to deserve this? I was doing fine without you. I was starting to forget, you know? I really was. It was getting easier to make myself believe that I didn’t still remember your smell, or the way your voice sounded in the morning. I pretty much had myself convinced that I’d forgotten what your laugh sounds like or the way you tasted on my tongue. I was getting better, it was getting easier. But then of course you had to waltz in here with your fucking beautiful, rich, famous fiancé and just ruin everything all over again. When will you stop ruining my life, huh? When will it be enough for you?” He stops then, feeling a bit out of breath, his cheeks red from the anger that is coursing through him. After a mere moment of deliberation he utters the words he knows will hurt the most, or at least the ones that would have back then. “I fucking hate you, Harry.” It’s the first time he’s allowed himself to say his name in two hears and he spits it out as if it’s poison in his mouth. “Tell your precious fiancé I had to leave and that I’m terribly sorry.” And with that he’s storming out the door and far away from Harry Styles.


End file.
